The ultimate weeknight dinner, ready in 30 minutes or less! With the ability to switch up the protein or play with different flavor add-ins, this versatile meal will be a family favorite!
Need to get dinner on the table in a flash? Check out my Blender Caesar Salad Dressing, Semi-Homemade Cheesy Garlic Bread and Roasted Broccoli to round out the meal – all are quick-cooking recipes!
Chicken breasts have a bad reputation for being dry and bland. In this recipe, the chicken is moist and tender, and positively dripping with a velvety garlic sauce. Definitely not bland at all!
COOKING CHICKEN BREASTS
For this recipe, I like to either buy thinly sliced chicken, or slice regular chicken breasts in half from right to left, opening them like a book. This is a good photo tutorial, although I don’t usually pound the chicken.
The reason I do this, is two-fold.
- You can turn 2 chicken breasts into 4 cutlets, so it’s very economical.
- Thinner chicken cooks quicker, making this truly a 30 minute meal.
Dredging the chicken in a bit of flour helps give it a golden “crust”, and when you add the chicken back to the pan with the sauce, the flour helps thicken up the sauce.
Last but not least, DON’T clean out the pan between browning the chicken and making the sauce! All those browned bits of chicken are pure flavor GOLD!
MAKING THIS CHICKEN BREASTS RECIPE WITH OTHER PROTEINS
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s easy to make with other proteins as well!
We all get tired of chicken from time to time, so these are our favorite options:
- Pork chops
- Shrimp
- Steaks
- Salmon
ADDITIONAL FLAVOR ADD-INS
I love versatile recipes, and this creamy garlic sauce is a great base to add other flavors to!
Some of my favorites are:
- Asiago cheese
- Fresh or dried herbs
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Fresh spinach
- Basil pesto
- Mustard
While I think this meal is fabulous as is, you could serve it alongside some pasta for a truly stick-to-your-ribs dinner!
HOW TO MAKE A PAN SAUCE
Making a pan sauce is my favorite way to make a sauce because you don’t have to dirty another pan! Plus you get the added bonus of all the flavors of what was cooked in the pan before the sauce.
After the chicken has been browned on both sides and removed to a plate, add in a drizzle more oil and saute the shallot and garlic.
Add in the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to really scrape the bottom of the pan. This loosens up any browned bits and incorporates that flavor into the sauce.
Add in the cream and seasonings, stirring well. Add in the cheese and butter and your sauce is complete!
This pan sauce method can be used to make just about any pan sauce you want!
SHOP THE RECIPE
- Cast Iron Skillet – I use this pan for just about everything in my kitchen and it’s perfect for getting that amazing sear on the chicken.
- Sharp Knife – I have a fancy Wusthof knife that I love (but is super pricey), but this knife is super close second for me, and you can’t beat the price!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS!
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast halves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour (for dredging)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 shallots, finely minced (or 1 small yellow onion)
- 2 Tbsp finely minced garlic
- 1 1/3 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 - 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
Instructions
- Add flour to a shallow dish. Season chicken on both sides with a total of 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp paprika. Add chicken to flour dish, one at a time, turning to coat lightly in flour.
- Heat olive oil in heavy skillet over MED HIGH heat until hot. Add butter, then add flour-dredged chicken to skillet, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. If your pan is less than 12 inches across, you may need to brown the chicken in batches.
- Cook chicken for approximately 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked and golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to MED LOW, and add a small drizzle of oil to pan (remember, DON'T clean it out!), then add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so.
- Carefully pour in chicken broth or stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Pour in heavy cream and stir well to combine.
- Cook 2-4 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Stir in 1/4 tsp each of pepper and Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. Add chicken back to the pan, nestling them in and moving them around so the flour will help thicken the sauce.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Nancy says
Wonderful recipe! My family & picky kids loved it!
Marye Rusack says
This was delicious, however, I used almost twice as much seasoning. I used a combination of goat cheese and garlic cheese crumbles. My family liked it very much but we did make the sauce thicker to cling to the pasta.
Karen says
Another 5 star recipe!! Followed recipe exactly. The sauce is outstanding!!! Adjusted just a bit to taste by adding a bit more cheese and dash of salt. Great dish for company! Thank you, once again, Amanda!!! Keep ’em coming!!
Michele N Chludzinski says
I just made this dish, I had to use light cream though. (Store out of heavy) . But it did get thick. Everyone enjoyed it.
Veronica Hassinen says
Cooked this for Dinner and added some mushrooms, it was delicious, since there is only 2 of us we have enough for another night, that’s always good
Andy says
Made the meal tonight for my family. I added spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. The chicken was moist and tasty. The sauce was great!! We’ll be making it again and sending the recipe to our friends! Thanks so much!!
Anon says
Ingredients list would be nice
The Chunky Chef says
You must have missed the recipe card with the full ingredient list and instructions…
JackiB says
You dummie jerk
Angelica says
I made this recipe using cream of mushroom soup and beef stick, with a little bit of corn starch to make it more gravy like And it came out absolutely incredible. This will def become my goto recipe next time we entertain guests!! It probably would go fantastic with some mashed potato side too!
Diane Larro says
It took a little longer for me using fresh garlic and a touch of turmeric but then I decided to add some fresh mushroom and wow it was over the top and everyone loved this recipe. Thank u 🙏🏽
Jenni P says
My family loved this. They said it was one to make again. I did add some cornstarch to help thicken it.
Sylvie St-Denis says
Deliscious i will make this again.
Indira brown says
I made this it was delicious made a few tweets just delicious.
BG says
Super easy and so delicious. The chicken was so flavorful and tender. Thank you–will be making this again soon!
Tammye Gerdes says
This was truly an amazing dish. I made white rice to soak up the sauce, and it was perfect.
Diane says
We loved this even though my sauce never thickened. However I did add spinach to the plan with the garlic. It was delicious, but I think it may have affected the sauce. Wish it wasn’t so caloric, but it was so good I’ve give it 10 Stars!
Sara Hatch says
So good!! Huge hit with my boys and husband and super easy thank you! 👍
Ralph says
Simple and easy. Very easy sauce to modify ti fit any occasion.
Sara Hatch says
So good!! Huge hit with my boys and husband and super easy thank you! 👍
Carole Tiernan says
Delicious, made it this evening with pasta and everybody loved it. Chicken was soft and succulent and the sauce was to die for, 10/10.
Rebeka Budveszel says
This recipe is soo good! Definitely worth trying and I will definitely keep on cooking it.
I didn’t have any heavy cream so I just made my own by temping milk with hot butter and it turned out delicious, and I added my own herb blend.
Loved it and thanks
Lala says
SO delish! Thank you for this amazing recipe ❤️ Made as directed with necessary minor adjustments, and a good tip for thickening 🙂
~Don’t skimp on EVOO & butter each step!
~no cream etc? Substitute regular milk + extra butter (room temp milk best, and add 1 Tbs lemon juice to the Milk to make it buttermilk-y… let sit 5+ min)
~to thicken sauce: once onions are close to done (~4-5 minutes of sautéeing) & garlic has been added, add 2 Tbs butter, melt down, add 4Tbs flour: sprinkle on top of onion/garlic, mix it around, turn heat up a bit for 2-3 minutes, mixing all the while to cook down the flour (similar to a roux)
~follow rest of recipe, and reviewers suggestions to add spinach!
~(ps- if you’re adding tarragon or some other herb, this recipe can no longer be called “garlic”, ‘cause they’ll overwhelm the show! It’s OK! just be prepared)
~Thanks @chunkychef for this amazing dish that will forever be on rotation in our kitchen ❤️
Treasa Larkin says
So good!!!!
Seanna Parker says
Thanks for the recipe. The family loved it. No more boring chicken.